Warming Climate in Norway Reveals Relics of Ancient Viking Trade Route

OSLO — Ice patches that melted from the slopes of a remote mountain pass in Norway have revealed artifacts that provide new insight into the livelihood of hunters, traders and travelers along a route thousands of years old, archaeologists said this month.

A horse snowshoe.

The relics of this distant past include tunics and mittens woven with wool, leather shoes, arrows are still adorned with feathers, and snowshoes made for horses. Giant stone cairns mark old pathways once used by traders to find their way through fog and heavy snow. Antlers, bone and animal dung have also been found, the archaeologists behind the project said.

The discoveries, outlined in the scientific journal Antiquity, were made on the central mountain range in Norway’s Innlandet County by the Glacier Archaeology Program, one of many programs worldwide studying what glaciers and ice patches are laying bare as they shift and melt because of climate change.

Read the story from The New York Times by Henrik Pryser Libell and Christine Hauser - “Warming Climate in Norway Reveals Relics of Ancient Viking Trade Route.”

UK weather: temperatures to plunge again on Saturday night

Thousands of people have been trapped, delayed and had their journeys disrupted by heavy snow that swept across parts of the UK, as forecasters warned more severe weather was on the way over the weekend. Scotland could see lows of minus 16C (3.2F) over Saturday night into Sunday as the cold snap continues, the Met Office said.

Vehicles make their way through heavy snow
at Culloden near Inverness, Scotland. 

Hundreds of motorists were stranded on Friday, while air and rail passengers faced cancellations or difficult journeys and more than 1,000 schools were closed. Some householders experienced power cuts and sporting fans had events cancelled or travel plans wrecked.

Trains on the South Western Railway network were expected to be disrupted until 9am on Saturday after heavy snowfall, according to National Rail Enquiries. Southeastern, Transport for Wales and Great Western Railway services were expected to run as normal.

Read the story from The Guardian by Steven Morris, Matthew Weaver and agencies  - “UK weather: temperatures to plunge again on Saturday night.”